Trip to
Iraq

In February 2006, John Lesch traveled to Iraq, paying his own way for the trip. His plans
to blog the trip soon leaked to the press and became a several day
news story. Lesch received substantial criticism about his trip,
including for speculation as to his whereabouts when he left the
country after approximately one week in Baghdad.

Paul Demko of City
Pages reported, ""While it is true that most folks would choose
more stable settings for their vacation, I believe the Iraq war is
the seminal conflict for our age," Lesch wrote in announcing his
departure. "What happens there today will affect many generations
of Americans and Iraqis, and I seek to learn as much as possible in
a short amount of time." Lesch's mission sounds a wee bit like that
of Farris Hassan, the 16-year-old Florida rich kid who traveled to
Iraq by himself and turned up at the Associated Press office inside
the Green Zone. "[3]

Dangerous dog
legislation

In June 2007, Representative Lesch called for a ban on certain
breeds of dogs in the State of Minnesota, including, Rottweilers,
Pit Bulls, Akitas and Chow Chows. Violating the proposed law, by
owning one of these dogs, would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up
to 90 days and jail and $1,000 fines.

Lesch said, "We're attempting to nip it in the bud ahead of
time. You never hear stories about roving packs of Golden
Retrievers attacking children, but you hear about the pit bulls,"
he said. [5]

Several animal welfare groups opposed Lesch's plan. Animal Ark
said on their site opposing the bill, "Representative John Lesch
has announced plans to introduce a bill that would ban 5 breeds of
dogs, any mixes of those breeds, or any dogs "displaying
characteristics" of those breeds. This bill will not result in any
reduction in dog bites. It will result in extreme hardship for any
family whose dog may be taken from them for purely ambiguous
reasons.[6] A Rotta
Love Plus Minnesota, a Rottweiler and Pit Bull rescue organization,
notes that the problem is dog behavior, which can be traced to
irresponsible owners: merely enforcing existing dog-laws would
solve that problem, directly, rather than identifying and singling
out specific breeds to ban.[5]

Rumors
of Senate Campaign

In February 2007, Lesch stated he was considering running for
the United States Senate seat held by Norm Coleman.[7] Nothing
came from the rumors and no campaign announcement was ever
made.